Medical Waste Management; Help Avoid Adverse Health Outcomes Associated With Poor Practice
Medical waste management is defined as the management of biomedical waste generated within healthcare facilities and research centers, for example, infectious waste, sharps waste, pharmaceutical waste, chemical waste, pathological waste, and radioactive waste. Regulations require that medical waste is treated and rendered non-infectious before disposal in a landfill. The management of healthcare/medical waste requires increased attention and diligence to avoid adverse health outcomes associated with the poor practice, including exposure to infectious agents and/or toxic substances.
Medical waste is primarily regulated by the state environmental and health departments. In the United States, federal agencies, such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and potentially others have stringent regulations regarding medical waste. These agencies are responsible for protecting worker health and safety in the United States. Moreover, the transport of medical waste is regulated at the state level by the Pollution Control Board and at the central level by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Medical waste is a broad term that generally encompasses all medical waste materials that are generated during healthcare operations. Bio-medical waste means any waste which is generated during diagnosis, treatment, or immunization, and/or in production or testing of biological or in research activities and categories mentioned in the U.S. controlled drug substance act. The medical waste management programs protect the public's health and the environment through the effective implementation and enforcement of applicable laws on the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous medical waste.
Medical waste management is of great importance to reduce the serious health implications. Its purpose is to spread knowledge among the personnel involved in healthcare industry to prevent transmission of the diseases in the society and to protect public health and environment. The medical waste management includes steps such as collection, storage, segregation, treatment, transport, and disposal of the waste material.
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